Hand plate for nail gel curing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for providing UV radiation for curing of gels on fingernails and thumbnails including is disclosed. The apparatus includes an enclosure with a generally oval shaped opening into which a hand placed on a tray may be inserted. The tray is specifically configured to ensure that the hand is correctly placed so that each fingernail and the thumbnail of a hand is under a corresponding UV-LED when the tray slides into the enclosure. By virtue of the positioning of the UV-LEDs relative to the tray, when a hand with a UV curable gel on the nails is inserted into the enclosure, and properly oriented by virtue of the above-described tray, the gel on the fingernails and the thumb nail are cured at the same time and at the same rate

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nail gel curing apparatus which operate by using a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) operating at an ultra-violet (UV) wavelength suitable for curing gels of the type applied to fingernails for decorative purposes are well known. For example U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0036997 discloses ultraviolet equipment which utilize LEDs which generate a UV wavelength suitable for the curing of a gel applied to the fingernail of a user. By placing the fingers into the unit, the fingernails are irradiated with a UV light which results in the gel applied to the fingernails being cured.

However, as is typical in the prior art, the source of the UV radiation, whether LEDs or other source of UV radiation, is arranged so that the fingernails are irradiated from above. Although such prior art devices are suitable for curing gel on the fingernails of the four fingers of the hand, the thumbnail typically does not receive the same amount of direct UV illumination which results in the gel on the thumbnail not being adequately cured, or which requires the user to place the thumb into the unit either before or after the fingernails of the four fingers have been exposed to the UV irradiation for curing of the gel thereon.

The reason the thumbnail does not receive adequate irradiation is due to the anatomy of a typical hand in which when the four fingers are extended and the thumb is extended, the four fingernails lie in approximately the same plane and are spaced relatively closely to one another. However, the thumbnail is spaced apart from the other four fingernails, and lies in a plane which can be almost perpendicular to the plane of the four fingernails.

The following are the results of this hand repositioning:

1. Customer must change hand position, making a fist with the thumb extended straight out, facing upwards. Incorrect positioning of thumbs results in potential service failure. 2. Curing thumbs separately doubles the amount of time the curing process takes, thus lengthening total service time. 3. Normal sequence of application is disrupted, also lengthening total service time, and creating opportunity for application mistakes.

A nail gel curing device as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,466,442 overcomes the limitations of the prior art by including an additional UV light source which, for the thumbnail, is at the same relative position, i.e., angle and distance, as the UV source for the fingernails. However, in order for the thumbnail and fingernails to be correctly located relative to the UV light source, the hand must be inserted into the device in a precise manner. The hand must be oriented so that it is centered relative to the sides of the device and inserted the correct distance, that is not too far and not far enough.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for providing UV radiation for curing of gels on fingernails and thumbnails is disclosed. The apparatus includes an enclosure with a generally oval shaped opening into which a hand may be inserted. A board fits into a top section of the enclosure. The board includes UV-LEDs arranged as an array so as to irradiate the fingernails of a person's hand when inserted into the opening and additional UV-LEDs for the thumbnails. The UV-LEDs are arranged so as to relatively uniformly irradiate the fingernails and thumbnails of a hand inserted into the opening using a tray having a generally oblong shape which slides into a bottom section of the enclosure. The tray is specifically configured to ensure that the hand is correctly placed so that each fingernail and the thumbnail of a hand is under a corresponding UV-LED when the tray slides into the enclosure.

By virtue of the positioning of the UV-LEDs, when a hand with a UV curable gel on the nails is inserted into the enclosure, and properly oriented by virtue of the above-described tray, the gel on the fingernails and the thumb nail are cured at the same time and at the same rate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the invented nail gel curing apparatus showing a tray for placement of a hand which ensures that the fingernails of the hand and the thumbnail are in a proper position of irradiation by UV-LEDs inside the apparatus.

FIG. 2 is top perspective view of the apparatus with tray extended showing placement of a right hand on the tray with mounted UV-LEDs which although not shown, are installed inside the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is top perspective view of the apparatus with tray extended showing placement of a left hand on the tray with mounted UV-LEDs which although not shown, are installed inside the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the tray shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is cross section of the tray shown in FIG. 4 taken along line 5-5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is the configuration of a platform/tray used for placing a hand to rest on during the curing process of gel applied to the fingernails and thumbnail of the hand.

Referring first to FIG. 1, an apparatus for providing UV radiation for curing of gels on fingernails and thumbnails is shown. The apparatus includes an enclosure 11 having a top section 13 and a tray 15 which fit together to provide a generally oval shaped opening 17 into which a hand may be inserted.

A board (not shown) which fits into top section 13 of enclosure 11 has a generally horseshoe shape. This board includes UV-LEDs arranged as an array so as to irradiate the fingernails of a person's hand when inserted into the opening 17 of FIG. 1 as explained in U.S. Pat. No. 8,466,422. As further explained in U.S. Pat. No. 8,466,422, there are two additional boards (not shown) which fit into top section 13 of enclosure 11 with UV-LEDs arranged so as to relatively uniformly irradiate the thumbnail of the inserted hand at approximately the same level of intensity and angle of illumination.

In this manner, when a person's right hand is inserted into opening 17, UV light emanating from one set of LEDs irradiate the four fingernails, and UV light emanating from the other LEDs irradiates the thumbnail on the right hand. In a similar manner, when a person's left hand is inserted into opening 17, other LEDs irradiate the thumbnail of the left hand.

Although not shown, the LEDs are electrically connected to each other so that when power is applied to the LEDs, all of the LEDs are powered at the same time and irradiate the fingernails and the thumbnail of the inserted hand with approximately the same intensity of UV light.

Tray 15 is a generally planar oblong shaped structure symmetrical along its longitudinal axis to accommodate either the left and right hand. Tray 15 includes a palm rest 15 a centered near the front end of the tray and raised flanges 15 b and 15 c located near the sides of the tray. Palm rest 15 a is a generally oval-shaped raised area for resting the inside of the palm of a hand placed onto the tray. Raised flange 15 b is arranged so that when a right hand is placed onto the tray, the webbing between the thumb and the forefinger of the right hand will be blocked to prevent the hand from being inserted too far into the apparatus. Raised flange 15 c is a symmetrical structure on the opposite side of tray 15 and is located so that the web formed between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand is blocked from being inserted too far into the apparatus.

In this manner, the tray configuration allows a customer to “grab” the raised flanges 15 b (right hand) or 15 c (left hand) to ensure that proper positioning of the thumb nail is achieved with the UV LEDs illuminating the nails at a proper angle to ensure uniform curing of the gel.

The front of the flanges 15 b and 15 c act like a stop to limit how far the hand can be placed on the tray eliminating the possibility of the fingers being inserted too far that can result in the nails touching the back inside of the device compromising the finish on the four finger nails.

Grooves 17, 19, 21 and 23 provide a perfect positioning guide for the customer assuring the maximum exposure of these fingernails to the UV light which is focused on the top of the center lines of the grooves.

Referring next to FIG. 2, tray 15 is shown extended with a right hand placed onto the tray showing how raised flange 15 b blocks the hand from being inserted too far into apparatus 13. FIG. 3 in a similar manner shows tray 15 extended with a left hand placed onto the tray with raised flange 15 a blocking the hand from being inserted too far into apparatus 13.

FIG. 4 illustrates tray 15 with palm rest 15 a, and raised flanges 15 b and 15 c. Also shown in FIG. 4 are grooves 17, 19, 21 and 23 formed by raised sections 17 a, 19 a and 21 a. Grooves 17, 19, 21 and 23 along with raised portions 17 a, 19 a and 21 a are used to ensure that fingers placed onto the tray are slightly spaced apart and oriented so as to be in proper position with respect to corresponding LEDs (not shown). Also shown in FIG. 4 are end sections 25 and 27 for ensuring correct position of the right-hand thumb and the left-hand thumb, respectively. Although portions 25 and 27 do not form grooves for holding the thumb, as best seen for example in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the tray is inserted into apparatus 13, the sidewalls of top section 13 result in portions 25 and 27 effectively forming a groove which holds the right hand thumb and left hand thumb, respectively.

Referring next to FIG. 5, which is a cross-section taken along 5-5 of FIG. 4, the finger grooves 17, 19, 21 and 23 are shown as being formed by raised portions 17 a, 19 a and 21 a, along with raised flanges 15 b and 15 c. In this regard, it should be noted that raised sections 17 a, 19 a and 21 a, although raised and elongated structures, are not so elongated, nor high so as to effect the distance the fingers of the hand are inserted into top section 13, but rather are used simply to ensure that the fingers are spaced apart from each other so that the fingernail of each finger is under a corresponding LED-UV light. This is to be contrasted with raised flanges 15 b and 15 c which are substantially higher than raised sections 17 a, 19 a and 21 a, and have an extent which prevents the hand from being inserted too far into top section 13 when tray 15 is slid into top section 13.

By utilizing tray 15 in a nail gel curing device, when a customer's hand is placed on said tray, and said tray and hand are inserted into a nail gel curing device as described herein, the fingernails and thumbnail of that hand are in an optimal position to ensure proper curing of nail gel on the fingernails and thumbnail on that hand.

Suitable LEDs for this purpose are available from Helio Optoelectronics Corp. using its part number HMHP-E1LU. Each LED should have an emission spectrum so that most of its power distribution has a wavelength between approximately 380 and 425 nm at a wavelength of approximately 400 nm. This device has a forward voltage ranging between approximately 3.0 and 3.4 volts with a forward current in this voltage range between approximately 100 and 500 mA. LEDs with these characteristics should be located so that when the hand of a person is properly inserted into the unit, the LED which is closest to the fingernail or thumbnail is approximately one-half to three quarters of an inch away. Depending upon the power of the LED utilized, and the type of gel utilized, the number of LEDs, spacing, and distances from the fingernails and thumbnails may vary. However, such variations are well within the understanding of persons having ordinary skill in the field of the invention.

Further, an appropriate power supply, on-off switches, and the like are not important for a proper understanding of the invention and, therefore are not described herein. However, the specifics of these items are well within the abilities of persons having ordinary skill in the field of the invention, as described herein and defined in the following claims. 

1. A tray for a nail gel curing device comprising: a generally planar oblong structure sized to accommodate a hand of a person, said structure configured to slide into and out of said nail gel curing device; a first raised flange disposed adjacent to one side of said structure; a second raised flange disposed adjacent to a second side of said structure; a first raised portion disposed adjacent to an end of said structure and centered thereon; a second raised portion disposed adjacent to one side of said first raised portion; a third raised portion disposed adjacent to a second side of said first raised portion, said first, second and third raised portions spaced apart from each other to form grooves for accommodating a mid-finger and a ring finger of said hand, and said second and third raised portions spaced apart from said first and second raised flanges, respectively, to form spaces for accommodating a forefinger and a little finger of said hand; wherein said first raised flange is sized to have a height and extent which is sufficient to block a web portion of a right hand and, with said first, second and third raise portions, ensure that said right hand is properly positioned on said tray to enable an optimal curing position of said nail gel on said fingernails and thumbnail of said right hand; and said second raised flange is sized to have a height and extent which is sufficient to block a web portion of a left hand and, with said first, second and third raise portions, ensure that said left hand is properly positioned on said tray to enable an optimal curing position of said nail gel on said fingernails and thumbnail of said left hand.
 2. The tray for a nail gel curing device as defined in claim 1 wherein said first, second and third raised portions have a height which is less than a height of said first and second flanges.
 3. The tray for a nail gel curing device as defined in claim 1 further comprising a generally oval shaped raised portion disposed adjacent to a second end of said structure and centered thereon. 